Ring of Honor
Date: December 29, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have finally arrived at what seems to be the last original content episode of the show. That causes some mixed feelings, as it is sad to see the show go but it also finally puts it out of its misery. That should not be the case with any wrestling show, but it has been around here for a long time. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle promises a Christmas surprise.

Quinn McKay gives us the opening welcome and rundown.

Josh Woods gets to draw his names for the Christmas Surprise twelve man tag team main event and seems rather pleased.

Brian Johnson draws his names and is less impressed, as is his custom.

Women’s Title: Holidead vs.Rok-C

Holidead is challenging and says it is time for the dark reign to begin. Rok-C is ready for whatever Holidead brings at her because Holidead doesn’t have heart or the title. She still isn’t great at this talking thing. Rok-C rolls away from her to start before grabbing a headlock. Holidead is back with a headlock takeover of her own, which is reversed in a hurry as well.

Rok-C’s headlock takeover puts Holidead down for a change before Rok-C starts striking away to send Holidead outside. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air though and Holidead posts her to send us to a break. Back with Holidead putting her in a fireman’s carry for some head first rams into the buckles.

Rok-C comes back with a Thesz press and right hands, followed by the Rok Knees for two. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead the same but Rok-C is back with a Backstabber. The running knee to the face gets two on Holidead, who cuts her off with a spinebuster for a near fall of her own. Back up and Rok-C grabs a quick Code Rok to retain at 13:30.

Rating: C. Assuming this is the last time we see a match like this on Ring of Honor TV, it’s a perfectly fine way to wrap up the women’s division: a technically sound yet lifeless match as two women did moves to each other until one of them won. The women’s division never caught on and always felt like the most serious part of the show. It wasn’t awful, but it also wasn’t interesting and that made it a chore to watch at times.

Dalton Castle still has a surprise for us.

Post break, Castle seems to start a song and dance number with the Baby Chickens but one of them breaks something, sending Dak Draper into a rage.

Team Johnson vs. Team Woods

Brian Johnson, Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Rey Horus, Homicide, Flip Gordon
Josh Woods, Silas Young, Matt Taven, Bandido, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe

Everyone gets their own entrance, complete with rather personalized Christmas wish lists for their graphics, such as:

Never to see Danhausen again – Johnson
Shane Taylor’s head on a platter – King
Timbaland Boots so I could kick my opponents’ heads off – Homicide
Get my memory back – Gordon
The internet to like me – Taven
Jet pack – Mark Briscoe
Lug wrench – Jay Briscoe

Johnson gets his big BAH HUMBUG entrance because he can’t stand any of his partners. Homicide drives Jay into the corner to start as we get some Ring of Honor history lessons from commentary. The lockup takes them over to the ropes so Woods can tag himself in. The rear naked choke has Homicide in trouble so he bites his way to freedom. They slug it out until Homicide yells at him and bails into the corner. Titus comes in and takes it to the mat with Woods, which doesn’t seem to be the best move. Woods counters a short armscissors in a hurry and we take a break.

Back with Taven dropkicking Gordon but getting taken down by a headscissors. Bandido comes in to face Gordon, with the latter walking on his hands. That’s fine with Bandido, who has an open shot for a superkick. Horus comes in and everyone drops off the apron because they know this is going to be good. They run the ropes but neither can go anywhere, with guest commentator Quinn McKay complimenting their hair. King and Mark come in with the latter taking him down by the leg.

Back up and some Red Neck Kung Fu staggers King, who hands it off to Titus instead. We get a Briscoes vs. King/Titus (the former All Night Express) showdown for another old times sake faceoff as everything breaks down. We take another break and come back with Horus forearming Castle and avoiding a charge into the corner. Horus hits a big dive onto Young as Gordon is watching from the commentary desk. Thankfully he comes back to his senses and dives onto a bunch of people in the aisle.

Back in and Homicide escapes Taven’s Climax but gets kneed in the face for two. Gordon Kinder Surprises Taven off the top, leaving Bandido to hit the X Knee on Horus. Back up and Horus hits a heck of a tornado DDT to plant Bandido but it’s time for the parade of finishers. Johnson rolls Mark up with tights for two so Mark strikes away against the ropes. The Cutthroat Driver sets up the Doomsday Device to finish Johnson at 20:45.

Rating: B. This is all it should have been as they didn’t try to have much of a match outside of everyone going nuts and having fun out there. That’s all you need to do in a situation like this, because not only is this a special, but it’s probably the last match from the original era. It was a lot of fun and it worked very well, especially with the Briscoes getting the win, as should be how things go out.

Everyone hugs and the Briscoes are lifted onto some shoulders as commentary talks about how this is pretty much it to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. And that’s it, which makes me rather sad. Ring of Honor is still the most influential promotion of this generation but it ends in front of no fans with a show that means nothing. The show itself was pretty good, but this was all about the farewell, which seems to be a whimper rather than any kind of grand finale. I’m not sure what is next for Ring of Honor, but I’m almost scared to see what follows this under the same name.

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Final Battle 2021
Date: December 11, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the end of an era and quite possibly the end of a company, or at least the end of the company as we know it to be. Ring of Honor is going into hiatus after this show for about four months, leaving a pretty big cloud over their future. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but hopefully they can have a great show on their way out. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Six Man Tag Team Titles: Righteous vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Promotions (Moses/Kaun/O’Shay Edwards, with Ron Hunt) are defending. Dutch and Moses fight over wrist control to start, which isn’t something you often see between hosses. Moses gets flipped into the corner, which is even more rare, so he knocks Dutch outside in a hurry. Everything breaks down in a hurry (you knew that was coming) and the three way brawl is on until it’s Vincent suplexing Kaun.

That doesn’t work for Kaun, who is back up with a running elbow to the face. Moses comes back in and gets caught with a Side Effect as commentary shouts out to Kyle O’Reilly and the Hardys. It’s off to Edwards, who gets a rather nice reaction as he beats on Bateman. Vincent tries his luck but can’t knock Edwards over the top. Instead he throws Edwards through the ropes as everything breaks down again.

Vita VonStarr gets on the apron for a distraction but Moses knocks her onto the pile and flip dives onto them. Not to be outdone, Dutch hits a BIG flip dive over the top onto everyone else. VonStarr hits a dive of her own, leaving Vincent to Redrum Kaun for two back inside. The elevated DDT plants Bateman and Edwards drops a good looking moonsault for two more, with the bell ringing by mistake. Edwards plants Dutch but walks into Orange Sunshine to give Vincent the pin and the titles at 10:42.

Rating: C+. That was a pretty wild six man tag to start and that’s often the best way to get the fans going. One of the cool things about tonight is that the title changes don’t mean anything, so we could be in for a bunch of title changes. Not exactly a classic, but it was fun and a good choice for an opener.

Pre-Show: Miranda Alize/Allure vs. Chelsea Green/The Hex

Allure is Mandy Leon/Angelina Love and the Hex is Allysin Kay/Marti Belle. Miranda kicks Belle in the head for a fast two but Marti is back with a running kick to the face of her own. Kay comes in and the threat of a powerbomb sends Alize over for the fast tag to Leon. Green gets her chance and rolls Leon up for two of her own so Leon dropkicks her down for two. A suplex into the corner gets another near fall on Green and there’s a running basement dropkick from Alize.

The villains take turns hitting some running splashes in the corner on Green, setting up Love’s Complete Shot for two more. Green fights out of the corner though and it’s a double missile dropkick for a much needed breather. The hot tag brings in Kay to clean house until Belle grabs Hex Marks The Spot for two more. Everything breaks down, including the parade of secondary finishers, capped off by Green hitting a huge dive onto the pile. Marti’s dive is cut off though and Mandy hits Astral Projection for the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C-. Kind of a messy match here and it’s a bit of an eye roll to see Leon get the pin on the last show. She has been one of the focal points of the women’s division for a long time now and has more or less stopped developing since the Allure deal started. The match wasn’t bad and had some good spots, but less than seven minutes for six women is a lot to cover in such a short amount of time.

Pre-Show: PJ Black/Flip Gordon/Bouncers/World Famous CB vs. LSG/Sledge/Max The Impaler/Demonic Flamita/Will Ferrara

Ferrara and CB trade wristlocks to start and the exchange of not being able to get an advantage gives us a standoff. Gordon and Flamita come in to trade clotheslines and armdrags for another standoff, which has commentary and the crowd equally pleased. LSG comes in and hits the Rocket Bye Baby for two on Black so it’s Milonas coming in for the showdown with Max.

That’s good for a cheap shot from Milonas so Bruiser can have a quick slugout. Max hands it off to Sledge for a slightly more fair slugout and it’s time for people to start coming in sans tags and hit each other in the face. Max hammers on Milonas and unloads on him in the corner, setting up a spear.

Bruiser pulls Max outside and takes her down and it’s time to set up the series of dives. Flamita teases a dive but opts to flip off the fans instead, leaving Bruiser to…not hit a powerbomb actually. Instead Flamita slips out and hits a superkick, setting up a big corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Gordon cutters LSG out of the air, setting up a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to give Black the pin at 10:22.

Rating: C+. I can go with a match where there is nothing to suggest that it is anything more than a big mess. They weren’t trying anything else here and that’s how it should have gone. Let these ten people get on there and go nuts for a little while, which is a good way to go on the pre-show. Sometimes you need some insanity and that’s what you got here, so well done.

The opening video talks about the meaning of honor, even when you are looking into a future of nothing. It is the end of an era, but it is not the end of honor.

Dragon Lee vs. Rey Horus

They hug to start and fight over a lockup, setting up some rope running minus the contact. Horus can’t get a sunset flip so he rolls to the floor, where Lee hits a heck of a dive. Lee throws him over the barricade, allowing Lee to have a seat at ringside. Back in and Lee spinebusters Horus into a half crab, with Horus going straight to the rope.

The running knees in the corner are broken up by Horus’ raised boot though, with Lee bailing to the floor. Now it’s Horus hitting the big flip dive to take Lee down for a change, setting up the overhead belly to belly into the corner back inside. Lee is back up with a pair of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers to set up another half crab to put Horus back in trouble. It’s time to slug it out, including an exchange of kicks to the face.

A Spanish Fly plants Horus but Lee can’t follow up so it’s a double breather. Horus crotches him on top and it’s a super victory roll for a close two. Now it’s Horus going up but slipping, allowing Lee to get his knees up to block the splash. Lee rolls into a Falcon Arrow for two on Horus and the Incinerator gets a very close two. Another Incinerator finishes Horus at 11:19.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of all action match that you would expect from these two and it was an entertaining match as a result. These two have been excellent for a long time now and one of the better series that you’ll see. I’m glad they got a chance to tear it up again and it was a fun way for both of them to get on the card, while opening the show.

Former Ring of Honor Triple Crown Champion Eddie Edwards thanks Ring of Honor for the chance and for changing the business.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Rhett Titus vs. Joe Hendry vs. Silas Young

Castle is defending and it’s one fall to a finish, with Castle bailing to the floor to walk into the crowd. Hendry (who is looking jacked compared to his old days) gets taken outside so Young can send him into the barricade. Back in and Castle t-bone suplexes Young, meaning it’s time for a lap around the ring. Titus comes in for a quick rollup but gets sent outside for an apron flip dive from Young.

Hendry blasts Titus with a clothesline but gets belly to belly suplexed into the corner. Castle is back in with the Bang A Rang to Titus, who reverses into a cradle for two. Titus sends Young outside but Hendry pulls Titus’ high crossbody out of the air, because he’s strong enough to do that.

A double fall away slam sends Young and Titus flying so it’s Castle coming back in with a big smile on his face. It’s Titus coming back in and getting planted by a heck of a Hendry powerbomb. There’s the Bang A Rang to plant Titus but Hendry belts Castle in the face. Cue Castle’s friend Dak Draper to take Hendry down though, leaving Titus to avoid Young’s moonsault. The dropkick gives Titus the pin and the title at 8:51.

Rating: C. They kept this fast and that’s probably the better idea. It was another one of those wild matches that was only there to be as exciting as possible and that is often better than letting things go long. Titus winning the title after trying for so long is a feel good moment and I liked what we got here. Granted that might have been Castle and his Dancing Chickens.

Hangman Page is going to miss Ring of Honor.

Pure Rules Title: Brian Johnson vs. Josh Woods

Pure Rules (of course) and Woods is defending. As usual, Johnson runs his mouth before the bell, talking about how it doesn’t matter if you’re a Punk, an American Dragon or a Peacock, because Johnson is better than you. Woods scares him into the ropes and Johnson has used his first break in about thirty seconds. The second break is used up less than a minute and ten seconds in but Johnson sends him into the corner for a chop.

That earns him a hard knee to the ribs though, allowing Woods to grab a choke over the ropes. Johnson Stuns his way to freedom and hits a heck of a dive to the floor (which doesn’t feel very Pure). Back in and Johnson has to break another choke, setting up some knee drops. A running splash sets up Spike Deskin (I think? It’s a hanging cutter to the floor.) and Woods is rocked.

They get back inside to fight over a suplex, with Woods finally taking him over the top for a double crash. The slugout on the floor almost gives us a double countout but they head back inside to slug it out there instead. Woods grabs another choke and Johnson has to use his third rope break.

A cheap shot lets Johnson hit the Process for two so he grabs the title. The referee takes that away so Johnson takes the turnbuckle pad off, only to get caught in a German suplex for two. Since the referee has to put the pad back on, Johnson gets a brass knuckles shot for two more. With nothing else working, Johnson puts him on top but gets caught in a choke. Since there are no rope breaks, Johnson has to tap at 12:58 to retain Woods’ title.

Rating: B-. The Pure Rules division has become a major focal point in the last year or so and it is great to see it getting this kind of a focus again on the last show. Woods is kind of perfect for the division and he deserves to be on this show in this spot. I could go for more of Johnson’s trash talk though, as it has made him a lot more memorable than anything he does in the ring.

Jimmy Jacobs loved his time in Ring of Honor. He certainly is a legend around here.

We recap Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor. They were friends, then King turned on him, meaning it’s time for a Fight Without Honor.

Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes and weapons are provided. Riccaboni makes it more serious by talking about how these two are fighting to get their next paycheck elsewhere. A quick slugout takes things outside, with Shane sending him hard into the barricade a few times. The chair shot only hits post but Shane is fine enough to hit a backdrop on the floor.

Back in and King hits an enziguri but Shane hits him in the face over and over. Shane takes him up top, earning himself a super Blockbuster through a pair of tables at ringside. It’s already time for the required kendo sticks (you knew they were coming), with King cracking him over the back and choking away. King takes his sweet time bringing in a trashcan and charges into a Rock Bottom out of the corner onto said can.

Now it’s Taylor getting in his own stick shots, with Riccaboni rapid firing off some Cleveland Indians names. A heck of a splash puts King through another table at ringside so we need another table. Back in and King manages to drive him through the table in the corner for two in an impressive power display. Shane is right back up with the BIG ladder, but takes a bit too long and gets hit in the back with a kendo stick.

King gets in a few more shots and manages to build a rather ridiculous structure, with one ladder bridged between two more. Taylor is laid across the bridged ladder for a splash from the big one, which doesn’t look as impressive as it should. Taylor is right back up with Greetings From The Land for two of his own so King bridges a ladder between the apron and the barricade.

They stand on said ladder and slug it out until Taylor grabs the Marcus Garvey Driver….but the ladder slips, so King gets dropped HARD onto the floor. Well that was terrifying, and of course gets two back inside. Taylor grabs a chair so King tells him to “f****** do it”, meaning it’s a chair to the head. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes for Shane at 18:01.

Rating: C-. I really couldn’t get into this one as it was longer than it needed to be and a lot of the spots felt rather contrived. You can only get so far with a match like this, with so many weapons set up in the right spots to make such a match work. Throw in that terrifying crash on the floor and this wasn’t exactly the most fun to watch.

Post match, the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions and some other wrestlers get in the ring as Taylor and King make up.

CM Punk talks about his time in Ring of Honor and how special it was. It was a spirit that he loved and he will continue to foster it in AEW.

Rok-C is ready to defend the Women’s Title against Willow Nightingale.

Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Rok-C

Rok-C is defending but gets taken down to start, allowing Willow to bust out a cartwheel. Willow blocks the running knees but Rok-C manages to snap off a running headscissors. Back up and Willow can’t quite hit Three Amigos, so she plants Rok-C for two instead. This time Rok-C fights up with a Russian legsweep but Willow plants her for two more. A Pounce rocks Rok-C, sending commentary into various Monty Brown impressions and Rok-C down for another near fall.

The fans are split here, but the Willow chants are a bit louder. The Code Rok is countered into a belly to back kneeling piledriver to give Willow two more. Willow still can’t hit her moonsault as Rok-C jumps her from behind, setting up a heck of a powerbomb for two on Willow for a change. Back up and Willow catches her on top, setting up a superplex. Now the moonsault can connect for two but Rok-C is right back with the Code Rok to retain at 9:42.

Rating: C. The match was fast paced but Willow absolutely came off like a bigger star here and I would have thought about changing the title. Rok-C is a young star but she doesn’t exactly have anything to her besides being young and talented. Willow might not be the next big thing, but she stood out way more than Rok-C.

Post match here is Deonna Purrazzo to challenge Rok-C for a title for title (AAA Reina de Reinas/Impact Knockouts whenever she gets it back vs. Ring of Honor) match. Rok-C is in.

Adam Cole loved his time in Ring of Honor because it is why he became the wrestler he is today.

Violence Unlimited/Rocky Romero vs. EC3/Eli Isom/Taylor Rust/Tracy Williams

Romero and Williams go technical to start (as you probably expected them to do) until Williams misses a charge into the corner. The Forever Clotheslines are countered into a kneebar, sending Rocky straight to the ropes. Tony Deppen and Taylor Rust come in, with Rust running him over in a hurry. It’s already back to Williams, who gets to Crossface Homicide (in the same jumpsuit he wore on the first Ring of Honor show in a great bonus) for a change.

With that broken up, EC3 comes in to lose a strike off with Homicide. Brody King gets to come in and t-bone suplex EC3, only to get forearmed by the blindly tagged Isom. The choking doesn’t do Isom much good as King takes him down for a heavy backsplash, allowing the Violent ones to take turns on Isom. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to EC3 as everything breaks down in a hurry. Isom hits a bit dive but King’s is broken up by Rust and Williams hitting Total Elimination.

Back up and King is fine enough to hit a dive anyway but everyone runs over everyone else anyway. Homicide busts out his fork to stab EC3 but King is back in to MuscleBust Isom. We hit the parade of tribute finishers, including a Brian Kendrick Sliced Bread and a Jerry Lynn piledriver. Cattle Mutilation is broken up though and Isom hits Deppen with a Helluva Kick. Homicide and Isom slug it out until the Cop Killer gives Homicide two. Homicide freaks out so King comes back in, only to miss a clothesline as Isom collapses. The Ganso Bomb finishes Isom at 14:43.

Rating: C+. The tributes sequence might have been a little corny but it’s the kind of thing that should be taking place on this show. The fact that it came from one of the old school stars around here made it better and I was smiling at some of those tributes. You don’t get to see something like that very often and it worked well here, though I could have gone for Isom FINALLY getting that big win.

Post match Violence Unlimited poses before leaving. That means EC3 can rant about how there is no honor in what they do because of three letter organizations. WHERE ARE OUR LEADERS??? Dak Draper and Brian Johnson are mentioned so they hit the ring, with EC3 telling them to control their narrative.

Cue Wesley Blake (from WWE/NXT) and someone else in the aisle as EC3 keeps going on about being free and controlling your narrative. EC3 says free the Titan….and here is Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) to wreck Isom.. EC3 says this is an awakening as I try to figure out why they are bringing in an expensive wrestler for an invasion angle on a final show. Throw in that Strowman in ROH feels rather wrong and this is even weirder. Also the Control Your Narrative stuff continues to fail miserably as I still couldn’t tell you what the heck EC3 means.

The Young Bucks love ROH.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. OGK

OGK, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett, is defending. Mark powers Taven into the corner to start so Bennett comes in for the slugout. Taven is back in with a middle rope dropkick to put Mark down and the champs clear the ring in a hurry. Taven’s Flight of the Conqueror only hits Bennett though, allowing Mark to grab a chair. That means a big dive to take out both champs and it’s Taven in trouble back inside.

Bennett makes the save with an elbow to Jay for two as commentary even thanks Jim Cornette for his time around here. The tag brings Mark back in for Redneck Kung Fu, plus Redneck Boogie for two. Jay (already bleeding) can’t hit the Jay Driller as Bennett saves Taven and chops away. Bennett hangs Jay over the apron so Taven can hit a heck of a top rope splash for two back inside.

Taven Climaxes Mark but can’t cover, sending Maria into a half lap around the ring. The Briscoes send them outside for the big dives, setting up the Blockbuster off the apron to drop Bennett again. Back in and the Froggy Bow gets two on Taven, with Maria pulling the referee out. Maria gets dropped but it’s a Flight of the Conqueror Doomsday Device (dang) to drop Mark on the floor, setting up another near fall.

Hail Mary gets the same with Jay having to make the save. A quick Jay Driller sends Bennett rolling back to the floor but Taven hits Just The Tip on Jay. The top rope splash hits knees though and the Jay Driller gets two. The Doomsday Device gets the same as commentary is SCREAMING at these near falls. Another Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow gives the Briscoes the titles back at 15:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a bit overdone but there is absolutely no one who should be the final ROH Tag Team Champions. The Briscoes are so far and away the greatest team in the company’s history that you could probably cut their careers in half and still have them at the top of the list. Heck of a match too, and that’s what you would have expected from these teams.

Post match respect is shown, with Jay thanking all of the fans. The Briscoes aren’t done and are ready to face any team in the world…so there go the lights. Back up and AEW’s FTR of all people are here for the big brawl. Referees break it up and a lot of swearing ensues. FTR holds up the titles and the next fight has to be broken up.

Bryan Danielson says he wouldn’t he be here without Ring of Honor, especially Final Battle. He thanks the fans for making the shows and hopes that Ring of Honor will stick around.

We get a cool look at all of the Ring of Honor World Champions.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal

For the vacant title, as Bandido is out with Coronavirus. The fans are rather happy with this one as they trade wristlocks to start with no one getting anywhere. A headlock takeover doesn’t do much for Lethal either as they’re certainly starting technical. Gresham manages to send him outside and catches Lethal with a kick in the arm on the way back in. A headlock takeover with an armtrap keeps Lethal down but Lethal cartwheels into the basement dropkick to get a breather.

Lethal slams him down to work over the back a bit more but Gresham small packages him for two. A slap to the face drops Gresham and a flapjack does it again. It’s too early for the Lethal Injection and the Figure Four, as Gresham rolls him up for two more. Another kick to the arm cuts Lethal back down and Gresham needs a breather. They chop it out with Lethal getting the better of things but telling Gresham to chop him again.

A ripcord powerslam plants Gresham again but he catches Lethal on top. What looked to be a superplex is broken up so Lethal tries Hail to the King. Lethal is ready for Gresham’s raised knees but can’t get the Figure Four either. Instead it’s a reverse Regal Roll to set up Hail to the King to give Lethal two more.

Gresham is right back on the arm and grabs a crossface chickenwing. Lethal flips forward for a cutter and they’re both down again. That means it’s time for the locker room to come out and watch as Gresham hits some running forearms for two each. The arm gives out and Gresham hits another forearm for two. The Lethal Injection is countered into a rollup for two, setting up the Octopus to make Lethal tap at 15:35.

Rating: B. Gresham absolutely had to win here as that is the story that has been set up for months. I can imagine that this would have been the ending whether Bandido had been around or not and that is the right way to go. Gresham has been the workhorse of the company since its return and going with the Pure Rules wrestler as the final shot at the final show is a smart move.

The celebration is on, including Gresham’s wife, Jordynne Grace, getting in the ring. Commentary thanks the fans, with Coleman saying “see you in April” to end the night.

Overall Rating: B. This might not have been a great show, but it was something more important: it felt special. The show felt like it was a bunch of people saying goodbye to a company that meant a lot and that absolutely should have been the case. The good thing here is that there was no truly bad match (though some came close) and it felt like a fun way to go out rather than something dull and dry. It was nice to see something be more about the fans and the company’s legacy, which is how things should have gone. The last two matches are worth seeing and that’s not bad on a three hour show.

No matter what its fate may be, Ring of Honor is one of the most influential companies in modern wrestling history. You can see it style (and a lot of its wrestlers) everywhere from PWG to Impact to AEW to WWE and the style is even more prevalent. This place has meant a heck of a lot to the wrestling world and it is going to be sad to see Ring of Honor go away. I’m glad it went out on a pretty good show too, with the big ending and tributes making it all the sweeter.

Results
Righteous b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Orange Sunshine to Edwards
Allure/Miranda Alize b. Chelsea Green/The Hex – Astral Projection to Belle
PJ Black/Flip Gordon/Bouncers/World Famous CB b. LSG/Sledge/Max The Impaler/Demonic Flamita/Will Ferrara – Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to LSG
Dragon Lee b. Rey Horus – Incinerator
Rhett Titus b. Silas Young, Joe Hendry and Dalton Castle – Dropkick to Young
Josh Woods b. Brian Johnson – Choke
Shane Taylor b. Kenny King – Marcus Garvey Driver
Rok-C b. Willow Nightingale – Code Rok
Violence Unlimited/Rocky Romero b. EC3/Eli Isom/Tracy Williams/Taylor Rust – Ganso Bomb to Isom
Briscoes b. OGK – Froggy Bow to Taven
Jonathan Gresham b. Jay Lethal – Octopus

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ring of Honor
Date: November 24, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re rapidly approaching Final Battle and the final battles of note from the promotion. That doesn’t exactly make things feel that important around here and I’m not sure what that is going to mean going forward. At least the action should be good and that’s about all we can ask for around here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay gives us the welcome and the rundown.

Brian Johnson vs. John Walters

Pure Rules. Johnson runs his mouth about how awesome he is and how he you spell Pure M-E-C-C-A. They go with the grappling to start until Walters nips out of a headscissors to send us to a break. Back with Johnson hitting a shoulder to the ribs in the corner but getting armdragged into an armbar. It works so well that Walters does it again, with Johnson not being able to monkey flip his way to freedom.

Johnson tries to escape but gets pulled back over the top by the barred arm. Walters gets caught on top though and a hanging cutter brings him back down for two. Some knees to the back set up a quickly broken cobra clutch but Johnson kicks him in the head to cut off a comeback. We take another break and come back again with Johnson dropping a fist, which counts as the first closed fist. Johnson doesn’t seem to mind but Walters is back up with a middle rope legdrop on the arm.

Something like an abdominal stretch on the mat forces Johnson to use his first rope break and they trade rollups for two each. Walters grabs a Sharpshooter, meaning that’s the second rope break from Johnson. Another Sharpshooter attempt burns the last rope break but Johnson gets in a shot to the eye. Johnson kicks out Walters’ knee, sending him face first into Johnson’s knee (that’s a new one), setting up Trust The Process to finish Walters at 11:30.

Rating: C+. The knee thing at the end was more than enough to make this work and I was surprised by how they got to the finish. Other than that, this was a nice back and forth match with Johnson being so annoying with the trash talking that you want to see him lose at the end. Beating Walters still feels like a big enough deal so good choice for an opener here.

Post match Johnson makes the still out of it Walters shake his hand.

Mandy Leon vs. Trish Adora vs. Allysin Kay

The winner moves on to a #1 contenders match for the Women’s Title shot at Final Battle. Angelina Love and Marti Belle are here with Leon and Kay respectively. Leon bails to the floor to start so the other two trade wristlocks inside. Kay’s headlock takes her to the mat but it’s broken up in a hurry. Neither can get a takeover until Adora hits a belly to back for two.

Now Leon comes back in and sends Adora into Kay as we take a break. Back with Leon getting caught in a double submission, which is broken up so Kay and Adora can slug it out. Kay takes Adora up top for a superplex but Leon turns it into a Tower of Doom for the big crash. That means a pair of near falls each so Leon throws Adora outside. Astral Projection is enough to finish Kay at 6:58.

Rating: C-. Leon winning wasn’t exactly a surprise as it was the structure of two women doing their thing while Leon was there too, followed by the win. The women’s division still has a long way to go and while there is talent here, there is only so much that you can get out of a match like this. You could have gone with any of these three, but Leon was kind of telegraphed here.

Dalton Castle is ready to bring pizzazz to the TV Title. He also compares himself to Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Dragon Lee

Castle, with the Baby Chickens, is challenging and Lee’s entrance is cut out for some reason. They go with the grappling to start as neither can get very far on the mat. It’s way too early for the Bang A Rang so Lee sends him outside, leaving Lee to hit the Tranquilo pose. Castle is sent back first into the barricade so Lee is back in with a Falcon Arrow for two. Back up and Castle takes him outside for a whip over the barricade for a crash. They come back in with Castle grabbing a waistlock as we take a break.

We come back with Castle kicking Lee in the face and standing on his chest. Lee fights that off in a hurry and hits the running corner dropkick. Castle blasts him with a clothesline for two of his own and they’re on the floor again. Lee sends him over the barricade and loads up the dive but has to dive onto the Chickens instead.

Back in and a clothesline gets two on Lee instead but here are Shane Taylor Promotions and La Faccion Ingobernable to brawl. The Bang A Rang is countered into a cradle for two on Castle and Lee hits the running knee. Cue Dak Draper though and a cheap shot sets up the Bang A Rang to give Castle the pin and the title at 11:34.

Rating: C+. Now that was an actual surprise and that is the kind of thing that can often be good. What mattered here was they made me care about the ending as Castle’s comeback trail is an interesting story and now he has some gold to validate a lot of what he has been saying. The fact that it came via cheating makes it even better for him and now we get to move forward to…well not much actually but at least Castle won here.

Video on EC3 vs. Jay Lethal, which is up next week.

Overall Rating: B-. I really do like this show most of the time but there is only so much reason to care when Final Battle is wrapping up almost everything of note in less than a month. This is a great case of enjoying it while it lasts and having almost no pressure, which is not a bad situation to have. Now just keep up some good TV on the way to the end and we should be in for some rather fun times.

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 29, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week was a rather unique show as everything was focused on the Pure Rules division. That worked for a one off, but I could go for something else this week. Hopefully that is the case, as it should be time for the fallout from Death Before Dishonor. You never know what you’re getting around here though so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay gives us the welcome and the rundown.

Brian Johnson is ready to take over the Pure Rules division. PJ Black comes up and says if he wins, Johnson has to shake his hands. Deal.

PJ Black vs. Brian Johnson

Pure Rules and Johnson says Black is the only non-bozo on the roster. He even handles his own entrance to save Bobby Cruise some time. Black, Johnson’s former mentor, says he didn’t teach Johnson everything. They go to the mat to start with Black working on the arm, setting up a front facelock. A headscissors has Johnson in more trouble and Black headlock takeovers him to make it worse. Back up and Black sweeps the legs, setting up a dropkick for a fast two.

That’s enough for Johnson to need a breather on the floor but he gets caught in another armbar back inside. The first rope break is used and Johnson gets kicked right back to the floor. Black hits a dive on the floor, followed by a top rope ax handle to the head back inside. There’s a high crossbody for two more on Johnson, who avoids a springboard as we take a break.

Back with Johnson hitting a knee to the ribs and spelling his nickname. Black scores with a backdrop into the rocking horse, but carries Johnson over to the ropes, which actually counts as Johnson’s second break. A belly to back suplex lets Black go up top but Johnson is up with a double clothesline for the double knockdown. Back up and the slug it out until Black throws him down by the beard (geez).

A kick to the face means Johnson has to use his final rope break, but he knocks Black into the corner. The referee almost gets bumped and the distraction lets Johnson get in a thumb to the eye. Black goes to the ropes so the referee tells the announcer that’s a break, allowing Johnson to punch Black in the face. The Process finishes Black at 10:58.

Rating: C. The ending was a little more complicated than it needed to be as the rope breaks are getting quite a bit of emphasis. The Pure Rules stuff is starting to take over a lot of television time, which can get a little annoying when there is so much that barely ever gets any focus. At least it is pretty good though, which matters quite a bit.

Post match Black says he isn’t happy with losing, but he shakes Johnson’s hand for a smart move.

Post break, Johnson doesn’t think much of Brian Zane, who is actually dumber than Quinn McKay. PJ Black comes back in to endorse Johnson again, which isn’t surprising.

Video on the women’s division.

Eli Isom loves to see Ryan Mooney showcase himself, but he isn’t winning.

Ryan Mooney is fired up about how much he loves Eli Isom, but Isom isn’t beating him.

We see the last few minutes of the Foundation vs. Violence Unlimited in an eight man tag at Glory By Honor. Looks like a heck of a match, with Jay Lethal pinning Tony Deppen with the Lethal Injection to give the Foundation the win.

Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal vs. Brody King vs. Shane Taylor

One fall to a finish, everyone gets a pre-match promo talking about how great they/their faction is, and Ring of Honor REALLY loves their faction stuff. Brody shoves Lethal down to start so Lethal starts pounding on the arm. That’s enough to send Brody into the corner, where Taylor tags himself in. Lethal gets powered into the corner and Taylor blasts him with a clothesline.

That means Lethal needs a new plan so he dragon screw legwhips Taylor into the corner, where Kenny can tag himself in. Lethal is sent into the corner for the third time, allowing Kenny to hit the cartwheel into the basement dropkick (ala Lethal’s trademark). Brody comes back in, drops Lethal with a right, and does the same to Kenny for good measure. Kenny is sat on top and chopped back into the ring, setting up Brody’s backsplash for two.

Back up and Kenny manages to kick him into the corner, setting up the Blockbuster for two of his own. Taylor grabs Kenny’s foot though and Brody hits a hard clothesline. It’s back to Taylor to slug it out with Brody, with Shane knocking him outside. Back in and Taylor catches Kenny in a hanging Stunner, followed by the Marcus Garvey Driver to Lethal. Somehow Kenny manages a Blue Thunder Bomb on Taylor, but Brody runs him over. Brody lariats Taylor for the pin at 12:54.

Rating: B-. They kept this moving, though it never quite felt like all four were involved at once. This was a lot of singles matches bunched together, which doesn’t make for the most thrilling stuff. I’m rather over the faction stuff, as it has been going on for a long time and doesn’t really go anywhere other than trading titles back and forth. Brody getting a World Title shot would not surprise me though, as Final Battle is starting to loom.

Brody and Taylor shake hands, but a singles match seems likely.

Overall Rating: C+. This did have a little bit better of a mixture, but there is only so much going on around here at the moment. We’re fresh off of a pay per view, but there are still very few storylines going on. That has long since been a problem in Ring of Honor and it can make for some dry stretches. It’s still rather good wrestling though and that is more than enough to keep me interested for a very long time going forward.

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 22, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are firmly away from Death Before Dishonor and in theory this should be the tapings where we see some fallout. That being said, last week we got some pre-fallout (Fall-in?) with the Tag Team Titles changing hands. Not that it makes much of a difference given how often they have been swapped as of late, but it’s certainly an event. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card, with a focus on the Pure Rules division.

Pure Rules Gauntlet Match

No word on how many entrants and lost rope breaks carry over from one fall to another. Eric Martin is in at #1 and World Famous CB is in at #2 with Brian Milonas on commentary. They trade the grappling to start with Martin going to the ropes to avoid a drop toehold, which seems a little dumb. Then he uses the next two in rapid fashion and is out of breaks after less than a minute and a half. Martin kicks CB off the top for a crash to the floor and it’s a running corner clothesline back inside. CB is right back with a kick to the face and a choke with knees in the back for the tap at 3:14.

Delirious is in at #3 and it’s time for more grappling to get things going. They hit the mat with both guys tripping the other for some short form control. CB’s headscissors sends Delirious over to the ropes for a break and it’s time to run the ropes in an awkward manner. A dragon suplex sends Delirious flying but he twists around into a cobra clutch. That’s broken up as well so CB tries a bunch of rollups to no avail. Delirious is right back with a cobra clutch backbreaker into a triangle choke while bending the arm the wrong way (GEEZ) for the tap at 13:23.

LSG is in at #4 and after a break, Delirious’ headlock doesn’t work very well. Instead they just hit each other in the face until Delirious grabs a neckbreaker for two. LSG blocks a suplex though and strikes away, including some running forearms. With Delirious rocked, LSG pulls him into a Muta Lock for the tap at 21:13.

Joe Keys is in at #5 and, after a break, gets taken down by a headlock takeover (popular way to start). Keys snaps off a backbreaker but gets sent into the corner, only to come out with an abdominal stretch. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker keeps LSG’s back in trouble and we hit a half crab. That means LSG needs to use his second rope break so Keys rolls some German suplexes, meaning LSG needs his third and final break. Keys takes him up top for a superplex but LSG turns it into a crossbody for the pin at 30:28.

Brian Johnson is in at #6 and talks about how he is the best and about to rewrite everything around here. Johnson drives the beaten up LSG into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs but LSG is back with Rocket By Baby. A rope break gets Johnson out of trouble so he throws a right hand (one more and he’s disqualified) and throws his feet on the ropes (which is fine because LSG is out of breaks so it doesn’t count….which I think makes sense) to pin LSG and win the whole thing at 32:56.

Rating: C+. These things are always a little weird to grade because it’s a bunch of mini matches in a row. What we got here was good though, with the right person winning. Johnson coming in to beat a worn down LSG for the win is the perfect thing for him and I liked enough of this to make it work. Nothing great, but it wasn’t exactly supposed to be given the circumstances.

Post match Johnson insists on a handshake, because he’s good at being a villain.

Rhett Titus vs. Mike Bennett

Pure Rules again. They go with the grappling to start and try a test of strength to no avail, with both of them kicking the other away. That’s good for a standoff so Titus grabs a headlock to put Bennett in some trouble. The Cobra Twist makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Titus working on the leg and the threat of a Boston crab makes Bennett burn a rope break.

Bennett has to use a second to save himself from another hold so Bennett goes after the arm. That doesn’t work either so it’s time to chop it out instead. Bennett blasts him with a discus forearm to the jaw and Titus has to use his first break. Bennett pulls him back to the mat and snaps off a DDT onto the leg as we take a break.

We come back with Bennett having to use his third break before getting gutwrench suplexed for two. An ankle lock sends Titus going for the ropes again so Bennett ties up the legs again. That’s fine with Titus, who starts a slap fight from the mat. Back up and Titus’ leg gives out but he’s able to block the piledriver. Bennett kicks the leg out again but gets rolled up for two. They fight over a bunch of rollups and trade clotheslines until the time limit expires at 15:00. The judges give it to Bennett.

Rating: B-. They were doing a grappling exhibition here and that worked out rather well. Titus has come a long way over the last year and a lot of that is due to being in the ring so often. Put him in there against better wrestlers and he is going to get better as well. Bennett held his own here too and it was a good main event as a result.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a very wrestling focused show and it worked out fairly well. What mattered here was they focused on something and it was entertaining enough. It was certainly another show from before Death Before Dishonor and it’s nice to see something like this be able to fill in a week.

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Best In The World 2021
Date: July 11, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 1,250
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the fans to be back here as well, which should make things a little more energetic. Ring of Honor has been one of the more consistently quality TV shows as of late and now they need to make that work on television as well. That might be easier said than done though so let’s get to it.

It really is cool to see some fans back.

Tracy Williams is out of the Tag Team Title match due to being hit by a car a few weeks back, so Jay Lethal will be defending in his place.

Pre-Show: Demonic Flaimta vs. Rey Horus

This is a rematch from the Survival of the Fittest qualifying round. Horus knocks him to the floor to start and snaps off a hurricanrana from the apron. Flamita gets whipped into the barricade but he is fine enough to dropkick Horus out of the air back inside. A running kick to the head gives Flamita a rather arrogant near fall and it’s time to slap Horus in the mask. Flamita stays cocky and cuts Horus down with some chops. Horus gets back up for a middle rope bodyscissors to the floor, naturally setting up the big no hands dive.

Back in and Horus hits a crazy springboard spinning tornado DDT for two. They get back up and slug it out until Flamita gets in a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. A frog splash onto Horus’ lets leaves both of them down until they slug it out from their knees. Back to back superkicks rock Horus, who grabs a satellite DDT for two more. Horus goes up top and gets pulled down with the MuscleBuster into the knees to the chest. Another superkick gives Flamita two so he tries another, only to get sunset flipped to give Horus the pin at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Take two luchadors and let them fly all over the place for about ten minutes. What better way is there to wake up a crowd for the rest of the night? Ring of Honor, like many other promotions before it, knew what they needed to do here and it worked out again. These guys were all over the place and that’s exactly what they should have been doing.

Post match Flamita drops Horus again and even spits on him.

Bouncers vs. PCO/Danhausen

The Bouncers have Ken Dixon with him. Brawler Milonas jumps PCO before the bell and it’s Danhausen in early trouble. Beer City Bruiser comes in to slam Danhausen, allowing Brawler to send him into the corner by the neck. A running clothesline drops Danhausen again and it’s time to choke on the ropes. It’s off to Bruiser for a clothesline of his own and it’s a Samoan drop into Brawler’s falling splash.

Danhausen avoids a charge in the corner though and manages a German suplex, allowing the hot tag to PCO. Striking abounds, setting up a crossbody of all things. PCO busts out a pair of dives onto both Bouncers and helps Danhausen chokeslam Bruiser. Cue Sledge to stare at PCO and Danhausen but Brawler takes PCO down.

Bruiser hits something like a Vader Bomb from the apron to the floor to crush PCO (egads), leaving Danhausen alone. Danhausen gets caught in a powerbomb from Brawler (Danhausen: “NO! PUT ME DOWN!”), which he slips out of to set up a hurricanrana off the apron and into the post. A quick pat wakes up PCO and Danhausen’s headbutt rocks Bruiser. Goodnighthausen is broken up so Danhausen manages an AA onto the teeth. The PCOsault finishes Bruiser at 9:05.

Rating: C. I can go for this kind of lighthearted comedy where they make no secret about what they are doing. Yeah it’s goofy but that’s the point, as Danhausen is in the exact right spot. If you want to have him team with PCO as a goofy team for awhile then so be it, as they aren’t going to win the titles or anything. Have some fun and don’t go anywhere beyond that.

Post match, PCO and Sledge have their staredown with Danhausen breaking it up.

The opening video looks at some of the bigger matches. They’re keeping it simple here.

PJ Black/Brian Johnson vs. Briscoe Brothers

The Brothers are back on the same page after beating each other up on their farm. Johnson yells at the fans on the way to the ring, because they’re all fat people who got fatter during the pandemic. He doesn’t like the idiot Briscoes either because they all like kissing their cousin. We even get a few jabs at Mama Briscoe, which is not likely going to go well. Johnson brags about being the best in the ring and on the mic so everyone will know his name.

It’s a big brawl to start (again, you don’t mess with a mama) and the Briscoes get the better of it, because Black messed with Mama Briscoe. Mark uses a chair for a big dive to drop Johnson and we settle down to Mark chopping at him inside. Jay comes in for the uppercuts and Mark does the same, as Ian says Happy Birthday to his mom (who you shouldn’t mess with either).

It’s off to Black, who kicks Mark in the face a few times to take over. Johnson adds a slam into an elbow drop for two and the referee takes some yelling. Mark isn’t having that though and fights up to bring Jay back in. The yelling and fighting are both on with Jay getting the better of things on Johnson. Black breaks up Redneck Boogie and Jay accidentally knocks Mark outside.

Johnson’s rollup gets two and Black breaks up the Doomsday Device. The Spike Eskin plants Jay and sets up a 450 to give Black two of his own. Jay kicks Black off the apron and Mark hits the kick through the ropes to Black. The apron Blockbuster drops Johnson and there’s the Cactus Elbow. Back in and the Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow finishes Black at 8:06.

Rating: C. This could have been fine as a TV main event so it works out well for a pay per view opener. The main point here was to establish that the Briscoes are back on the same page, which is a nice followup after their Fight On The Farm. It didn’t have much drama, but should there be between these teams?

We recap EC3 vs. Flip Gordon. EC3 was not happy with Gordon cheating to win a tag match because it does not fit with EC3’s Quest For Honor. At least it’s better than whatever he had been doing in the past few months.

EC3 vs. Flip Gordon

I’m not big on either guy so let’s get this over with already. They shake hands to start, with Gordon pulling him into a headlock for the opening bell. A hard shoulder drops Gordon but he’s right back up with the headlock. Gordon goes after the knee to take over and unloads on him with chops in the corner. A Ricky Steamboat style double chop puts Gordon down again but he takes out the knee in the corner.

There’s a dropkick to the knee to put EC3 on the floor, with the fans not sounding pleased. The leg cranking is on back inside but EC3 powers out, meaning it’s off to a chop off. The Psycho Boy takes Gordon down but the knee gives out again, allowing Gordon to bail to the floor. Gordon sweeps the legs and wraps the knee around the post to take over again.

Back in and the Submit To Flip goes on until EC3 makes it over to the ropes. Gordon goes up but gets top rope superplexed back down for the big crash. Gordon’s springboard….something is chopped out of the air but the knee doesn’t let EC3 follow up. A low superkick rocks EC3, who smiles up at him. That means it’s an Angel’s Wings into the Purpose (Bank Statement) finishes Gordon at 11:14.

Rating: C+. They worked a nice match here and both guys looked good, though it wasn’t exactly a smash. EC3 sold the leg well as it messed with his offense, but I’m still not sure I get what he is doing. It seems to be working for him, but a bit clearer of an explanation would be nice.

Post match Gordon slaps him in the face instead of shaking his hand, so EC3 extends his hand again. Another slap gets the same result, so Gordon spits in his face and walks off.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/Eli Isom/Dak Draper vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor/Soldiers of Savagery (Moses/Khan), with O’Shay Edwards) are defending. Castle’s jumpsuit is back and so are the Dancing Boys, because they better be. Draper takes Khan to the mat to start as we hear about Khan being a prince in Cameroon. Khan goes with the power and runs him over, allowing the double tag off to Isom and Moses. A dropkick staggers Moses but Isom tries a waistlock for no apparent reasons.

Castle comes in instead and points out that the fans are chanting for him (not exactly). The threat of wrestling earns Castle a hard push back into the corner but he low bridges Moses outside. The tease of a dive lets Castle drop to to the floor and hop onto the barricade for some more dancing. Back in and Castle gets all fired up on Shane, who drops him with a single chop. Isom comes in again and is planted with a spinebuster, allowing Khan to come back in for a suplex.

It’s back to Draper, who snapmares Khan down to drop a knee to the face, allowing Castle to snap off a t-bone suplex. The fast tags continue with Isom coming back in for a belly to belly, but Castle wants to come in instead. The delay lets Moses come in and wreck the challengers as everything breaks down. Back in and Draper picks up the pace, along with Moses for a powerslam, only to be told that Shane made a blind tag.

For some reason Draper thinks he can Dr. Bomb Taylor, who easily reverses into the Marcus Garvey Driver instead. Castle breaks that up so Isom comes back in for a rather impressive Air Raid Crash….as Castle is being tended to by the Boys on the floor. Isom goes up instead of covering but has to shove Castle off for trying to go up at the same time. That’s enough for Khan to hit a super Jackhammer (geez) and it’s time for the parade of finishers. Taylor has had enough of this and hits Draper with Welcome To The Land to retain at 10:56.

Rating: C. This was a very story heavy match as Castle continues to be a bit of a self obsessed pest, but how can you not love the jumpsuit? Isom continues to look like a star in the making and Ring of Honor is about the only place he could make that work at the moment. I’m still not sure why these titles exist, but the match was ok enough.

We get an ad for Honor Pals, Ring of Honor’s version of Wrestling Buddies, because those are the greatest wrestling toys ever.

Silas Young vs. Josh Woods

Last Man Standing and this former mentor vs. former mentee. They even make things a bit more interesting by pointing out that Young is 3-0 in Last Man Standing matches, making it his signature match. Woods jumps him from behind in the aisle though, because woods is smart like that. Young gets sent hard into the barricade but he is right back up with a springboard clothesline to put Woods on the apron. A hard forearm to the back cuts Young down again and Woods knocks him outside again.

Woods grabs a chair but Young shoves the referee into him (smart) to take it away. A chaos suplex off the barricade drops Woods again and it’s time to set up a table. We’ll add a ladder next to the apron, with Ian explaining that it’s there to fix the lighting. Woods sends him into the ladder and throws in a table of his own. Said table is set up in the corner, followed by a bunch of running strikes to Young in the corner. Young picks him up for a drive through the table though and it’s time to slug it out from their knees.

Woods pulls him into a leglock with Young crawling underneath the ropes and tapping to no avail. Yet another table is set up next to the other one on the floor but Young gets in a low blow for a breather. For some reason Young tries a running hurricanrana and is quickly powerbombed onto the ladder for his efforts. Woods throws in a bunch of chairs but gets caught in a backbreaker back inside. A chair shot to the back has Woods in trouble and Young nails Misery for a nine count. They slug it out on the apron above the two tables….and Woods German suplexes Young through both of them for the win at 13:10.

Rating: B-. That’s how it should have gone as these guys beat each other up for a good while until Woods survived. They built up the idea that Young was the best guy at this kind of match and then had someone beat him. Woods has been ready to break through to the next level for a long time now, though I’m not sure if this is going to be the big step forward.

During Hour One, Vincent challenged Matt Taven to a cage match in August and then beat him down.

From the trainer’s room, Taven accepts.

Brody King vs. Jay Lethal

Tracy Williams is here with Lethal. King powers him down with no effort to start and tells Lethal to bring it. A strike off doesn’t work for Lethal either so it’s a very early Lethal Injection for one. King bails to the floor so Lethal hits four straight suicide dives. That isn’t enough to put King down so Lethal hits a baseball slide, which doesn’t put him down either. Instead, King knocks him down again and throws him over the top by the throat. Back in and Lethal is chopped down in the corner as he can’t get anything to work so far.

King hammers away in the corner but Lethal slips out of a superplex and hits a powerbomb. That doesn’t last long either as King is back with a snap piledriver. King pounds him into a chair and hits a running crossbody to knock them both down. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron gets two on Lethal and he can’t even stand up for the Ganso Bomb. That means a hard running lariat to knock Lethal even sillier, followed by a pair of Ganso Bombs for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C+. The more I see from this version of King, the more I’m expecting him to be the Final Battle World Title challenger. He was treated like a monster here and basically squashed Lethal, whose biggest stuff didn’t do much damage. That’s the right way to go with this and the Ganso Bomb looks like the biggest weapon going at the moment. Nice job.

We recap Mike Bennett vs. Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Rules Title. Bennett won a Pure Rules gauntlet match to earn a title shot but Gresham flat out said he didn’t respect him. Bennett has heard that over and over again but Gresham says this is all about his legacy. Now it’s time for Bennett to prove him wrong.

Pure Rules Title: Mike Bennett vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham is defending and this is under Pure Rules, with an extended pay per view time limit. Cary Silkin of all people joins commentary as the fans seem split to start. An early lockup goes nowhere as they seem to be taking their time here. Gresham grabs a waistlock to start the grappling but gets taken to the mat without much effort. They pop back up with Bennett shouldering him down to make things seem a bit more serious.

The threat of a London Dungeon (seated armbar) sends Gresham going straight to the rope for the first break. Gresham pulls him down and starts cranking on the arm for some unnatural angles. An armdrag sets up a hammerlock and Gresham cranks on the other arm at the same time. Now it’s time to twist the ankle at the same time as Gresham’s confidence is going up. Back up and Gresham’s running shoulder hurts Bennett’s arm again.

The Kimura goes on so Bennett uses his first rope break in a smart move. Gresham is sent outside so Bennett tries a dive, only to get pulled back into the Kimura. Bennett taps to no avail before going back inside for another rope break for a bit of a weird sequence. Back up and Bennett goes for the arm as well, meaning Gresham needs his second break. Bennett uses the good arm to hit a Death Valley Driver for two and the seated armbar goes on again.

With that broken up, Bennett clotheslines him down but the arm gives out on a piledriver attempt. Another clothesline gets two on Gresham but the arm is banged up. Gresham is smart enough to use his feet to pop the arm and Bennett is in a lot of trouble. The Cobra Twist sends Bennett to the ropes for the third and final time so a pair of springboard standing moonsaults have Bennett knocked to the floor. Gresham adds a suicide dive but Bennett is right back up with a powerbomb for two.

That’s fine with Gresham, who pulls him into the Crossface. Somehow Bennett crawls out and rolls Gresham into the corner. The piledriver connects for three…but Gresham gets his foot on the ropes for his final break. Gresham switches it up and pops the knee this tine but Bennett stacks him up on a rollup attempt for two of his own. With the arm not working, Gresham ties him in a nasty looking kneebar for the tap to retain at 19:21.

Rating: B. There is something so fun about watching Gresham pick apart a limb like that as he turns it into a science. Bennett was trying hard here but got taken down piece by piece, with Gresham taking him apart to win in the end. This was a heck of a performance and it is great to see him do it every time. The problem is I’m not sure who is going to be able to beat him, as he is virtually unstoppable in this kind of a match. In other words, whoever takes the title from him is going to look awesome and get a heck of a rub.

Jay Lethal is too banged up to defend the Tag Team Titles so Tracy Williams asks Jonathan Gresham to take his place. Gresham reluctantly agrees.

TV Title: Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee

Deppen is defending, Lee has La Bestia de la Ring in his corner and Kenny King is on commentary. They go straight to the slugout to start with neither being able to get very far with the forearms. They try chops instead with Lee knocking him into the corner, where Deppen reverses for more chops of his own. Lee gets knocked outside so Deppen follows him, only to get kicked in the chest.

Deppen pounds him down again, setting up a suicide Canadian Destroyer, which is only good for two because the Destroyer is more played out than the DDT. Back in and Lee is fine enough to hit a shotgun dropkick in the corner. With Deppen in trouble, Lee puts him on top for an Alberto double stomp to the apron (dang that always looks rough) but Deppen is right back in with a small package for two.

It’s bad enough that King heads to the ring for a distraction so it’s an exchange of no sold German suplexes. Lee hits a poisonrana but Deppen pops back up for the double clothesline to put them both down. Back up and Lee kicks the knee out the Dragon Driver gets two more as frustration is setting in. More kicks just fire Deppen up and he chops away, only to get suplexed into a powerbomb. The Incinerator gives Lee the title back at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was a spotfest and that might get a little annoying in a hurry. What are you supposed to do when a match features a suicide Canadian Destroyer for two? They weren’t even bother to sell a lot of the time here and while I get the idea, it was hardly the best thing to see. Entertaining perhaps, but it took me out of things more than once.

King comes in to celebrate so here are Homicide and Chris Dickinson to chase them off. They’re challenging for the Tag Team Titles next so here are the champs to start the match less than two minutes after the previous one ended.

Tag Team Titles: Foundation vs. Violence Unlimited

Rhett Titus and Jonathan Gresham are defending for the Foundation in a Fight Without Honor (basically a street fight). The brawl is on in a hurry with Gresham beating Dickinson up on the floor. That leaves Titus to send Homicide into a chair in the ring as the violence begins. Dickinson catches Titus on top though and shoves him into an open chair (freaking ow man) but Gresham is back in with an abdominal stretch on Homicide.

With that broken up, Gresham kicks the chairs out….as Titus gives Homicide a Falcon Arrow through the timekeeper’s table. Back in and Dickinson chokes Gresham with I believe a shirt but can’t quite get an armbar. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Gresham and Homicide is back with a super cutter on Titus. That’s not even good for a cover as Titus is up with a powerslam with Dickinson having to make a save. Titus goes Rob Van Dam with a dropkick into a chair (not quite a Van Daminator but close enough), leaving Gresham to Octopus Homicide.

Dickinson breaks it up again and it’s a camel clutch into a Homicide basement dropkick. An STF has Gresham in more trouble and Homicide throws in a table, which Gresham shoves out while still in the hold. Gresham won’t tap so Homicide busts out a fork but Titus breaks it up with a gutwrench suplex. Titus sets up the table but Dickinson breaks up a superplex attempt, meaning it’s a super Razor’s Edge to send Titus crashing through the table. Homicide busts out the always terrifying Cop Killer on Gresham for the pin and the titles at 11:01.

Rating: C. I couldn’t get into this as it was like they had two different matches going on at once. Gresham was trying to do his technical stuff and the other three were having a hardcore brawl (makes sense for Homicide and Dickinson). It also felt like they were flying through everything here to get things done in a hurry, especially with the fast start. Not bad or anything but I couldn’t get into this.

Here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to introduce former Ring of Honor broadcaster Lenny Leonard, who will be calling the Women’s Title tournament. We even have brackets!

Sumie Sakai
Rok-C

Mandy Leon
Vita VonStarr

Max
Holidead

Angelina Love
BYE

Alize
Gracia

Mazzerati
Nicole Savoy

Allysin Kay
Willow

Marti Belle
Adora

Some of those are missing first/last names but that’s as much as we get.

Actually hold on though as Vita VonStarr is out due to breaking rules, so we have a replacement: Chelsea Green, who says this is what freedom looks like. She just spent two and a half years being deemed unworthy so she is here to prove that she is enough. The Maryland Athletic Commission has deemed her unfit to compete, but she will be ringside throughout the tournament watching everyone. Her scars remind her that she is unstoppable and in one month, she is taking this division to the forefront of wrestling. So we still don’t know who is getting the final spot.

We recap the World Title match. Bandido won Survival of the Fittest to earn the shot and he is coming for the unstoppable Rush.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging and gets jumped at the bell, with Rush hitting the Bull’s Horns at six seconds for a one count as he pulls his foot off of Bandido’s chest. They head outside with Bandido being whipped into the barricade to take the beating into the crowd. Back to ringside and a heck of a whip sends Bandido into the barricade, setting up the whipping with the camera cord.

They get back inside with Rush cockily kicking away and stomping on Bandido’s head. There’s another kick to the face in the corner and Rush is feeding off of the crowd. Bandido falls outside and Rush cracks him in the leg with a chair. More playing to the crowd lets Bandido get up for a desperation dive, his first offense in about five minutes. Back in and a shooting star press gets two on Rush as the leg is mostly fine. Rush grabs (kind of) him low to ask where something is but charges into an attempt at the X Knee.

That’s broken up as Rush hits a superkick instead, only to get caught in a crucifix bomb for two. An overhead belly to belly sends Bandido hard into the corner and he gets dropkicked out of the air. Rush sends him outside for a big dive and let’s get a table. Bandido manages to get back inside for a superkick though and a running shove sends Rush through the table. Back in and they trade some snap German suplexes until Bandido hits a pop up touch of the head (supposed to be a cutter).

That earns him a spinning kick to the head (fair enough as it was nowhere near a cutter, which commentary pointed out) and they’re both down again. It’s Rush up first to drag Bandido to the apron by the hair but Bandido is back up with the super fall away slam. The 21 Plex connects for two and the fans think this is awesome. Bandido charges into another suplex into the corner and Rush starts tearing at the mask. A shove of the referee is enough for Bandido to grab a rollup for the pin and the title at 16:04.

Rating: B+. These guys started fast and didn’t stop, which is how a match like this is supposed to go. They had one heck of a hard hitting fight with Rush being the monster who got too cocky and let the athletic freak catch up to him in the end as he went over the line. The match absolutely didn’t feel like sixteen minutes and it was the right call as Rush had been champion for far too long already. Heck of a main event and worth a look as Bandido jumps through the glass ceiling.

Post match, La Faccion Ingobernable runs in to beat down Bandido, with Rush getting in a belt shot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a rather good show with the main event leading the way, but it was also a bit longer than it needed to be and a match or two could have been dropped. What matters most here though is some stuff happened, as so much of Ring of Honor TV feels like it just keeps happening with no end in sight. Good show here, but it could have used more than a few adjustments.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: June 30, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are rapidly approaching Best In The World and a lot of the card has either already been made or is pretty obvious. That is not a bad thing either, but we also have to set up the rest of the Survival of the Fittest tournament. In other words, you can feel things getting interesting around here again and that is a very nice thing. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card, which will be headlined by the Survival of the Fittest finals. Well that’s big.

Here’s how all six of the finalists qualified.

But first, this.

Matt Taven vs. Dutch

Dutch has Vita Von Starr and Bateman with him. Taven goes straight at the monster to start and gets shoved down without much effort. Some heavy forearms to the chest have Taven in trouble but Dutch’s powerslam is broken up. A dropkick has no effect on Dutch, who runs Taven over to send us to a break. Back with Dutch taking it outside for a whip into the barricade.

Vita adds some choking but here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to order her to the back. With that out of the way, Taven spin kicks him to the floor for the big suicide dive. The Flight of the Conqueror takes Dutch down again, setting up Aurora Borealis….for one, with Taven being stunned. Taven flips out of what looks like a spinning Boss Man Slam, setting up the Climax. That’s enough for Bateman to pull Taven outside and take him out for the DQ at 11:09.

Rating: C. The ending is annoying but I get why you don’t want either of these guys taking a fall. The story worked well here as this was about making Dutch look like a monster, which worked out well. I’m not sure how much longer they can drag out this Taven vs. Righteous story, but that has been the case for months now.

Post match, Vincent comes out to dance as Bateman beats on Taven. Mike Bennett comes in for the brawl but the Righteous gets the better of things. Security breaks it up.

Post break, Vincent talks about how Matt Taven wants everyone to cheer for him but one day, he’ll have nothing left. Dig what he’s saying? Taven looks a bit crushed.

Jay Briscoe is ready to knock Mark Briscoe out in the Fight on the Farm. He let Mark have the win at the 500th episode and now it’s time to knock him out like he always has.

Survival of the Fittest: Demonic Flamita vs. Brian Johnson vs. Eli Isom vs. Bandido vs. Rhett Titus vs. Chris Dickinson

Elimination rules and the winner gets a future World Title shot. During the entrances, everyone gets a quick promo about how they’re going to win and what it means to them. Bandido and Flamita trade the kicks to start before falling outside, meaning Dickinson and Titus can come in. Dickinson headlock takeovers him down but Titus is back up with a suplex for two. Isom comes in and goes to the mat with Titus for some grappling. It’s off to Johnson to come in and chop it out with Isom, who sends him into the corner with a backdrop.

Johnson sends Isom outside but gets dropped by Bandido. The big dive is loaded up but Bandido has to grab Flamita, meaning it’s a huge backflip World’s Strongest Slam onto the pile. Back in and Bandido kicks Johnson down, only to be rolled up by Bandido for the elimination at 4:48.

Flamita isn’t done though as he jumps Bandido and puts him through the timekeeper’s table. Some chair shots crush Bandido even worse, drawing out Rey Horus for the save. We take a break and come back with Isom armdragging Johnson into an armbar but his belly to belly is broken up. Johnson whips him hard into the corner and talks about how Isom has all of seven people in Indiana cheering for him.

That’s enough to fire Isom up for a release northern lights suplex but the referee gets bumped, allowing Johnson to get in a poke to the eye. The hanging cutter out of the corner sets up the Process….but Isom rolls outside. Dickinson comes in but Johnson bails to the floor, allowing Titus to come in for the dropkick to Dickinson. Johnson comes back in (pretty fast at that) but gets suplexed by Titus for two. Another dropkick sets up a running boot in the corner to rock Johnson again and the top rope knee finishes Johnson at 12:55. Dickinson comes in to go after Titus’ knee, setting up a kneebar for the fast tap at 13:28.

The rather banged up Bandido gets back in so Dickinson Saito suplexes him for two. Dickinson stays on the bad arm but Bandido pops back up with some shots of his own. The threat of a cross armbreaker has Bandido on the floor so here’s Isom to win a slugout. That doesn’t seem to hurt Dickinson for the most part until a superkick staggers him. That’s enough for Bandido to come in with the 21 Plex to get rid of Dickinson at 18:55.

We’re down to Isom vs. Bandido and after a break, the slugout is on. Isom gets two off a sidewinder suplex and the Rings of Saturn goes after the arms. Bandido grabs the rope and frustration has set in. The Promise is blocked though and Bandido hits the X Knee but the arm gives out on the 21 Plex. Isom grabs an Air Raid Crash for two but the Promises is broken up again. Instead Isom settles for two off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The Promise is broken up yet again and this time Bandido takes him down into something like a reverse cross armbreaker/Koji Clutch hybrid (Isom’s arm is WRENCHED back) for the win at 23:51.

Rating: B-. This might not have been as epic as some of the previous editions of the match but they hit it full on with Isom’s near upset and had the right winner. That’s about all you can ask for in a huge match like this as Bandido vs. Rush sounds pretty awesome for a main event at Best In The World. Dickinson looked like a killer here too, so three of the six coming out looking good works well.

Respect is shown and Bandido celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, Ring of Honor knows how to put on a good show and keep you entertained for an hour. The tournament final was the big focal point of the show and it worked well, with the opener being fine enough of a way to keep things going. I’m looking forward to the pay per view and if it can be as good as their TV, everything is going to work out.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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19^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 26, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Rocky Romero

This is the Ring of Honor Wrestlemania season show and I get to continue my tradition of taking forever to get to the company’s pay per views. Things are still getting back to normal after the pandemic, though Rush is still the World Champion and defending the title against Jay Lethal. Let’s get to it.

Commentary kicks us off with some bad news: Dragon Lee is off the show so Kenny King will defend the TV Title as a replacement.

Pre-Show: Brian Johnson vs. Eli Isom vs. Danhausen vs. LSG

Only two in the ring at a time but this is Lucha Rules. Johnson yells at everyone else to start because he can’t shut up. Isom backdrops Johnson a few times to start so it’s out to the floor, meaning Isom gets to take LSG down. They pop up to a standoff but Johnson tags himself in and shouts a lot. LSG scores with a rolling clothesline and backdrops Johnson outside again but goes out with them, setting up Isom’s moonsault to take them both down.

Isom goes up and gets crotched, allowing Johnson to hit a hanging cutter. That’s enough to send Isom outside so LSG comes back in with a springboard crossbody. Rock A Bye Baby gets two on Johnson but Isom is back in with a high crossbody for two on LSG. Ism starts cleaning house, including a face buster which sends Johnson’s knee at least ten inches away from Isom’s knee. A triple clothesline puts everyone but Danhausen down so here he comes to low bridge Johnson to the floor.

Suplexes abound, including a northern lights suplex for two on Johnson. Good Nighthausen is broken up but Danhausen busts out the jar of teeth, which go into Johnson’s mouth. Johnson freaks out and a triple superkick makes it even worse. Isom plants Danhausen with a spinning DDT and exchanges rollups with LSG. Danhausen is back in with Good Nighthausen for two on LSG with Johnson making the save. Johnson hits the Process to finish Danhausen at 10:52.

Rating: C+. The action was fun and there is something about Danhausen that is just fun to watch. They keep him on these lower level matches so he doesn’t make anything seem ridiculous and that is all he needs to do. There is a place for someone like him and it makes for some fun moments like this one here. Good choice for an opener with the right person winning.

Pre-Show: Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mexisquad vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Mexisquad is challenging and this is also under Lucha Rules. The champs pose on the apron so Mexisquad dropkicks them all to the floor at the bell. The triple dive takes the champs down again and it’s time to triple team Shane inside. Some rapid fire strikes set up a double dropkick into a frog splash for two but Moses and Khan make the save. Shane brings in Khan, who gets triple teamed down as well.

Moses has had it with this and cleans house, including a spear for two on Flamita. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Shane two but the Squad gets together to take him down again. All three of them get onto the middle rope for a triple splash to crush Shane but Khan is back in for the Victory Lap (3D into a Downward Spiral) to knock Bandido silly.

Flamita is back up with a 619 to Shane, who sends Flamita into Bandido for a double knockdown. That doesn’t last long as Flamita goes up, only to have Bandido thrown into him for a crotching. Horus comes back in for a tornado DDT on Shane but Moses takes him down. Khan’s super Jackhammer plants Flamita and an elevated DDT (MNM’s old Snapshot) retains the titles at 7:51.

Rating: C. There was an idea here with the champs not being familiar with the Lucha Rules to put them in trouble. The Squad continues to have issues though and that seems to be building towards a split. I’m curious to see where it goes and who turns heel as a result, but for now it is nice to see the champs retain.

Post match, the Mexisquad gets in each others’ faces and a triple threat is set for later.

Opening sequence.

The opening video starts with a collection of VHS and DVD’s of Ring of Honor events (that’s a cool visual), including a look at the first event. Those shows inspired a new generation, and those wrestlers will be in action tonight. We don’t get much of a look at the specifics of the show, but I really liked that old show motif.

TV Title: Tracy Williams vs. Kenny King

King, with Amy Rose, is defending on behalf of Dragon Lee, who can’t travel following surgery. Williams takes him down into something like a seated abdominal stretch in a hurry. With that broken up, Williams starts in on the leg and cranks away on the foot before switching over to a front facelock. Back up and King unloads with right hands in the corner, setting up his own seated abdominal stretch. You don’t do that to Williams, who is right back with more leg cranking.

That’s broken up as well and King grabs a spinebuster into a tiger bomb for two. Williams puts him on top, gets shoved down, and comes back with a running enziguri anyway. That doesn’t get King very far as Williams grabs a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. The Crossface is broken up with a boot on the rope and King gets in a cheap shot for another near fall. Rose throws in Williams’ Tag Team Title to set up a tug of war, with Williams pulling him into a piledriver for the pin and the title at 7:14.

Rating: C. They kept this short as King wasn’t scheduled to be there and both guys had to wrestle again later in the night anyway. I can go for Williams getting a singles title though as he was rather good in the Pure Rules tournament and should have gotten something of his own. Pushing a traditional wrestler makes sense and it is nice to see him having some success.

Flip Gordon vs. Mark Briscoe

Grudge match and commentary tells us to expect a brawl. Briscoe slugs away to start and chops him up against the rope, setting up a brainbuster. A belly to back slam sets up a flipping backsplash for two on Flip, who is right back with the Kinder Surprise to send Briscoe outside. Back in and Gordon hammers away, setting up a fisherman’s suplex for two. The Eye of the Hurricane gets two more but another springboard is broken up with a shove out to the floor.

Briscoe hits the running Blockbuster off the apron (with Ian making a pair of Blockbuster jokes) but Gordon catches him on top back inside, setting up a top rope superplex for the double knockdown. They get up and slug it out until Gordon nails a jumping knee to the face. Briscoe kicks him to the floor though and pulls out a chair, which the referee gets rid of because, you know, it’s a chair. The distraction lets Gordon get in a low blow and Flip Five (I think? It’s a TKO.) finishes Briscoe at 7:49.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a bit more as it felt like they were trying to beat each other up because they want to hurt the other, which is the idea behind a grudge match. The ending was a bit lame as it was just a quick low blow into a finisher, but it could have been worse. Gordon continues to not do much for me though, even if he is one of the more prominent names around here.

Flip Gordon vs. Josh Woods

They’re moving quick here and Silas Young is in Woods’ corner. Woods wrestles him down to the corner without much effort but Castle is back with his own takedown. More grappling ensues until Woods puts him in the ropes for a German suplex. Gordon bails out to the floor for a breather but Castle runs back in for an elbow to the jaw. A running knee in the corner staggers Woods, who misses a springboard knee.

Castle takes him outside for a whip into the barricade, followed by a Russian legsweep back inside for two. The waistlock keeps Woods down for a bit before they fight over a suplex. One heck of a right hand (a rarity from Woods) sends Castle into the corner and Woods takes him outside for a ram into the barricade (call it a receipt). Two more whips into the barricade keeps Castle in trouble and a big right hand stagger him again.

A powerbomb onto the apron has Castle in even more pain and Young loads up a chair. Woods isn’t having that and the distraction lets Castle get in a few suplexes for two. The referee has to get out of the way of a charge into the corner, where Young (intentionally) holds up the chair to knock Woods silly. Castle didn’t seem to see what happens and gets the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. They had the two wrestlers doing most of a wrestling match here until the storyline ending. The match wasn’t too bad, but this felt like a TV match instead of something pay per view worthy. Young turning on Woods will give them both something to do for awhile, but knowing Ring of Honor, it will take at least two months to get anywhere.

Post match Young says he has been a patient man with Woods for over a year but now Woods has defied him. This is the last time Woods will ever defy him, because Young will hurt him in ways to make Woods question his career. Young was a big rambly here but he got the point across.

Jay Briscoe vs. EC3

This is to decide if honor is real, as EC3 continues his babbling which doesn’t seem to actually mean anything other than saying words in an attempt to sound smart. EC3 is now the Essential Character, which seems to just confirm what I thought about the controlling your narrative deal. They talk trash to start with EC3’s running shoulder just giving us a standoff. EC3 takes Jay down with a headlock and it’s back up for more staring.

Some shoulders put EC3 down this time but he’s back up with a Thesz press for some rights and lefts (EC3: “WHERE’S YOUR HONOR???”) into a chinlock. Back up and EC3 knees him in the ribs as commentary talks about how the wrestling is confusing the brawling Briscoe. A powerbomb plants Briscoe again and we hit the chinlock again (EC3: “Wrestling.”). Back up and EC3 grabs a TKO but charges into a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle.

Briscoe’s running big boot puts EC3 on the floor, with Briscoe hurting his knee by following him out. Back in and EC3 grabs a superplex, followed by an Angle Slam. That means more shouting instead of a cover, setting up a brainbuster. EC3 misses a charge though and it’s a Death Valley Driver onto the apron to knock him silly. Another running big boot rocks EC3 but Briscoe’s knee is too banged up to cover.

The neckbreaker is broken up so Briscoe kicks him in the face again. EC3 is right back with his layout DDT to put them both down again. More yelling about honor earns EC3 a Death Valley Driver and he starts laughing. Briscoe can’t figure out how to finish him off and EC3 is back with another Thesz press. Back up and a discus forearm rocks EC3 for two, so now he offers a handshake. The Jay Driller finishes EC3 instead at 20:58.

Rating: B-. I don’t know if I’m not smart enough to get what EC3 is doing or if it’s just a bunch of nonsense, but it is one of the more worthless gimmicks going in wrestling today. Maybe he’s trying to be all out there or he’s trying to mess with people’s heads, but it isn’t working for me. The in-ring stuff was was good enough and it felt like a bit match. Just find something that draws me in a bit more, because EC3 shouting about honor isn’t doing it.

We get the post match handshake.

Quick recap of Mexisquad’s issues on the pre-show, setting up this.

Flamita vs. Rey Horus vs. Bandido

This is going to be fast. Bandido and Horus seem cool but Flamita isn’t interested in a handshake. Flamita takes them both down to start but Bandido drops him to the floor. That gives us the Bandido vs. Horus showdown, which might not have the impact that they were looking for twenty seconds in. They shake hands until Horus starts kicking away, only to get kneed in the face.

A spinning headscissors puts Bandido down and respect is shown. Flamita is back in to send them both into the corner for some running clotheslines. The tornado DDT plants Bandido to send him outside, with Horus hitting a dive. Flamita hits a bigger dive and throws Bandido back inside. Bandido reverses a headscissors into a faceplant as Horus comes back in and gets kicked straight into the corner.

Flamita gets Bandido in an electric chair….where Bandido manages to suplex Horus anyway (that’s a new one). That’s enough for Bandido to send Horus outside and now we get a bit more impactful showdown with Flamita. They slap it out until Flamita hits a heck of a superkick into a spiral bomb for two, with Horus diving in for the save. Flamita’s slingshot DDT plants Bandido and it’s a Muscle Buster into a gutbuster to Horus, with the two of them landing on Bandido to give Flamita two.

That leaves Flamita to talk trash to the two of them, saying there is no more Mexisquad. Flamita is sent to the apron so Bandido can hurricanrana him to the floor. Back in and Horus wins the slugout, only to charge into a pop up cutter. Flamita is back in though and a three way boot to the face puts everyone down. Horus is up first with a satellite DDT to Bandido and the super victory roll gets two on Flamita.

Horus is sat on top as Flamita electric chairs Bandido….who reverses Horus’ high crossbody into a belly to bell, sending Flamita flying with a poisonrana at the same time (at least I think, as that was nuts). Bandido sends Horus outside for the big running flip dive, followed by a springboard hurricanrana for two on Horus. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin on Flamita at 10:48.

Rating: B+. This was exactly what you would have expected from these three and that is where they shine. These guys know how to do some completely insane stuff that worked amazingly well, as I was trying to figure out what the heck they were doing. You could run these guys in any combination for a LONG time and it was very fun here, as it should have been.

Post match respect is offered but Flamita walks away again.

We go to a Police Athletic League gym for Vincent vs. Matt Taven as it’s time to go cinematic, or at least pre-taped.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

Taven comes into the gym where it all started between these two, where Vincent is waiting with a big WELCOME BACK MATT TAVEN banner. Vincent talks about how Taven just wants the attention and then runs away as Taven says come down here and fight. Taven runs up some stairs to find Vincent, who jumps out near another ring to start the fight. After Vincent dances with a mannequin, Taven sends him into the post and shouts about how his world is a sad, sad world.

Vincent rolls outside so Taven’s suicide dive only hits some ladders (freaking ow man). Apparently Taven’s photo is on the wall, with Vincent pointing it out and then sending him into a filing cabinet. They go into a hall way with Taven being thrown over a desk and landing on his wrist. Back up and Taven throws him down some steps, setting up a big elbow over said steps.

Vincent runs away and slams a door onto Taven’s head. They slug it out and head into the room with the original ring, as Vincent asks if Taven remembers this. Taven slams him onto a rack of chairs before taking him into the ring. Vincent gets choked with a belt but manages a low blow to get a breather. The ring mat is pulled back and a Dudley Dog onto the exposed wood knocks Taven silly.

That means it’s time for Vincent to talk about how Taven loves the pain. Vincent drags….something towards the ring before throwing Taven onto a platform. We pause for some dancing until Taven is thrown into a door. They go up some more stairs and into some bleachers looking down at the ring, where they wind up sitting on the balcony. Cue a large man in overalls to shove both of them down through a table for a huge crash. The large man carries Vincent out, meaning it’s a no contest at we’ll say 13:00. He would eventually be named Dutch, as the newest member of the Righteous.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think of this as it was more of a big segment than a match. These two do feel like the eternal rivals so it makes sense to do something like this. What we got was good, but as usual with Ring of Honor, they don’t quite know how to wrap things up and it can become quite the problem. Good for awhile and it didn’t overstay its welcome, but it was a way to keep things going and that happens too often.

Jay Lethal asks the referee to not stop the main event early. Deal.

Here is Queen McKay to bring out Maria Kanellis-Bennett, who is now on the Ring of Honor Board of Directors. Maria gets straight to the point: this summer there will be a tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion. Anyone around the world is invited to come and compete but here is the Allure to interrupt. Angelina Love doesn’t like the idea of Mara showing up and taking over, wondering which position got Maria this position.

Maria laughs it off and says that Angelina’s career accomplishments mean nothing since she hasn’t had a match in a year. She’ll offer Love a deal though: win a match and she can have a first round bye in the tournament. Love can face….Quinn McKay on Ring of Honor TV. McKay gives us an adorable celebration and the staredown is on.

Dak Draper thinks he is the favorite in every match, including against Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Title.

Jonathan Gresham is ready to shut Draper up and plant the Foundation flag over him.

Pure Rules Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Dak Draper

Gresham is defending and is giving up over a foot to Draper for a heck of a visual. They stare at each other a bit (Draper down, Gresham up) until Gresham’s takedown attempt goes nowhere. Draper takes him down instead and drives a forearm into the face. Back up and Gresham has to jump to grab a headlock, setting up a forearm to Draper’s face to even things up. Another knockdown has Gresham in trouble but he avoids a handstand knee drop.

Draper grabs him again and this time Gresham has to use a rope break. A rolling waistlock has Gresham in more trouble and he can’t do much with the much bigger Draper. Gresham gets planted again and Draper and twists it over into a rollup for two, which allows Gresham to get back up. Something like a reverse bearhug stays on Gresham’s ribs but he finally grabs the wrist to get a breather, allowing him to dive to the ropes for a second break.

This time Gresham gets to unload in the corner to put Draper down for a change. Draper comes back with a knee into a Stretch Muffler, making Gresham use his last rope break. An armdrag lets Gresham come back with a springboard moonsault press into an ankle lock to put Draper in his most trouble so far. That’s broken up in a hurry though and Draper hits a running crossbody. Another Stretch Muffler is blocked with some kicks to the head and Gresham kicks away at the leg.

A hard forearm to the side of the head gives Gresham two, with Draper having to use the rope. Gresham stays on him and the second rope break is gone too. There’s the ankle lock and Draper is out of rope breaks too. Back up and a hard right hand puts Gresham down, with the referee getting to a nine count until Gresham rolls to the apron, which breaks the count because he moved. Ok then.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a David vs. Goliath match with the ending being a great way to go. Draper tried to use his power to fight through Gresham but the octopus deal caught him. Gresham is fun to watch every time and Draper got to show a bunch of potential here. Now just let him win something, even if it is just a big match.

Commentary talks about what we just saw but Delirious comes in to whisper something to Rocky Romero. It seems like we have a challenge.

Tag Team Titles: Foundation vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus of the Foundation are challenging La Bestia de la Ring (replacing Dragon Lee, his son) and Kenny King, with Amy Rose. It’s a big brawl to start (perhaps before the bell) with everyone heading outside. Williams gets whipped hard into the post, leaving Titus to get dropped with a double dropkick. Bestia hits a backsplash but Williams comes back in for the chop off.

Williams tells Bestia to bring it and gets dropped with a clothesline. Another backsplash misses but King gets in a kick from the apron. King comes in for an enziguri to the floor, setting up a slingshot corkscrew dive. Back in and Williams manages a knockdown of his own, allowing the tag back to Titus for the big slugout with King. Everything breaks down and Titus clotheslines King into a Texas Cloverleaf.

Titus adds a half crab on Bestia but King grabs the rope, meaning both holds are broken. King grabs something like Eddie Guerrero’s Lasso From El Paso but Williams is out in a hurry. It’s already back to Titus, with Williams hitting a quick piledriver on King. Titus grabs a swinging full nelson with Bestia having to make a save.

Bestia plants Williams with a Tombstone and chops it out with Titus. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Bestia one on Titus so Rose tries to slide in a chair. Bestia doesn’t want it and turns back to Titus, who nails some running boots in the corner. The full nelson knocks Bestia out to give us new champions at 10:29.

Rating: C+. This one didn’t quite make it to the next level but it wasn’t quite fair when you had champions teaming together for the first time. Titus and Williams work well together with Williams being great at the technical stuff and Titus having the size and heart to make it work. The title change makes the show feel more important, though the match itself was only pretty good.

Post match the big argument is on, with Rose slapping King in the face. Bestia cuts Rose in half with a spear and the guys leave.

We recap Jay Lethal challenging Rush for the World Title. Remember the last match which was a culture clash between two stables? Same thing here, but the singles version.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Jay Lethal

Rush is defending and has the horned mask with the white fur coat because….I’m not sure actually. For the first time in Ring of Honor, Rush actually shakes hands before we’re ready to go. A headlock sends Lethal straight to the ropes so they go to the mat for some grappling. That gives us a clean break and things reset a bit. They go right back to the mat and it’s the same result as the feeling out continues.

Rush hits him in the face to make Lethal a bit more serious and they strike it out in the corner. Lethal hiptosses him down for the basement dropkick but Rush pops up, earning himself another dropkick. This one sends Rush outside and it’s a springboard dropkick to knock him off the apron. Back to back suicide dives send Rush into the barricade and he comes up holding his knee before Lethal can try the third. Lethal is smart enough to go after the knee back inside but Rush hits him in the face.

It’s back to the floor with Rush sending him into the barricade a few times, meaning we need a camera cord. Rush chokes a bit and hits a backdrop on the floor and it’s time to talk to the camera. They head back inside with Rush kicking away and standing on Lethal’s head for a laugh. Rush loads up the Bull’s Horns but stops to roll into Tranquilo instead. Lethal uses the delay to send him into the corner and they’re both down for a breather.

Some shots to the face just annoy Rush so they strike it out for another double knockdown. Rush puts Lethal up top but gets shoved down, setting up Hail To The King for two. The Figure Four goes on to put Rush in more trouble as the knee gets banged up even more. The rope grab breaks that one up in most of a hurry but Rush snaps off a rebound German suplex. A knee to the face gets two on Lethal and a middle rope double stomp connects for the same.

Something like the Calf Crusher has Lethal in trouble for a change but Rush misses a top rope backsplash. The Figure Four goes on again and here is La Faccion Ingobernable to offer a distraction. Cue the Foundation to clear them out as Rush loads up the Bull’s Horns. That’s countered into a spinebuster, setting up a cutter and the Lethal Injection for two in what was Lethal’s best shot. Rush forearms him into the corner and the Bull’s Horns sends Lethal outside. Back in and another Bull’s Horns retains the title at 18:30.

Rating: B. It felt like a main event match but all of the clutter didn’t help things. There was too much going on near the end and that brought the rest of the match down. Lethal was a good challenge for the title and he wore Rush down, but Rush still feels like a piece of the main event scene rather than the big star. Given that he is approaching the longest reign in the World Title’s history, they might need to find a way around that. Still though, solid main event between two of the bigger stars the company has had.

Post match the stables are back for another brawl (because that’s what they do) with the Foundation getting beaten down. Cue Brody King to say Rush finally did something without his family for a change. Rush has always had the numbers advantage but now King has his own numbers. Cue Tony Deppen, Chris Dickinson and Homicide to beat down La Faccion Ingobernable but they spare the Foundation….for all of a few seconds before laying them out as well. The new team poses to end the show, because just two big stables wasn’t enough.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show, though it didn’t have anything that really jumped off the page. As usual, Ring of Honor is rather strong with the wrestling but not so much with the storytelling. The stable wars, now with three instead of two, is more than played out and I didn’t need to see another team added. There is nothing bad on here and it is an easy three hour watch, but this wasn’t exactly the big spark that they needed.

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 12, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming off a big moment last week as Tony Deppen won the TV Title in a rather surprising ending. I’m curious to see what they follow it up with, though there is a good chance that it is going to be part of the faction wars that have more or less taken over the promotion. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show as Quinn McKay is making her in-ring debut tonight against Angelina Love.

Flip Gordon/EC3 vs. Briscoes

This is billed as the TV main event as I’m assuming this was taped out of order. Due to reasons of names that sound better on paper than in reality, EC3 is now “The Essential Character.” Before the match, Flip and EC3 don’t want to team together and the Briscoes don’t seem to like them. EC3 actually shakes hands before headlocking Jay down to start. They go with the grappling until EC3 takes him down into a chinlock.

That gets reversed as well and Jay gets in a boot to the face. Mark comes in to start cleaning house and we take a break. Back with Mark and Gordon striking it out until a blind tag lets Jay come in for a big boot. Some shoulders put Gordon down and Mark chokes with the shirt. Gordon manages to take Jay outside for a wheelbarrow suplex into a low superkick. EC3 is not pleased with the whole thing but comes in for a front facelock anyway.

Jay jawbreaks his way to freedom and comes up striking as we take a break. Back with Gordon hitting a Falcon Arrow for two on Jay but a clothesline gets him out of trouble. Mark comes back in with the Redneck Kung Fu into an Iconoclasm for two, despite Gordon’s arm being up. Redneck Boogie is broken up as everything breaks down. EC3 double clotheslines them down but gets caught in Redneck Boogie for two with Gordon making the save. A quick chain shot knocks Mark silly though and EC3’s reverse layout DDT finishes Mark at 12:25.

Rating: C. EC3 looked better here, but I still don’t really get the big the big deal. It’s an improvement if he doesn’t do the Control Your Narrative deal, but the in-ring work and talking aren’t quite good enough to get my attention. Just kind of a match that happened here, which isn’t what you expect from the Briscos.

Brian Johnson is sick of not being taken seriously so it’s time for an open challenge. This is rather intense as he talks about how he is going to take out various people, including promising to turn the Octopus into calamari.

Brian Johnson vs. Danhausen

Actually no as Danhausen has already beaten Johnson so he has a gifthausen for Johnson.

Brian Johnson vs. PCO

Danhausen joins commentary and talks about sending PCO a letter to get this match set up. PCO sends him hard into the corner to start and we take an early break. Back with PCO backdropping him over the barricade and beating up the ring announcer. Danhausen: “Certainly not what Danhausen would have done but it is what it is.”

Johnson gets in a cheap shot and hits a top rope clothesline as Danhausen talks about his efforts to get Johnson banned from talking. Johnson hits a top rope splash but it just wakes PCO up. The pop up powerbomb plants Johnson and the PCOsault gets two. As commentary tries to understand the kickout, Johnson hammers away. PCO shrugs it off and grabs the Deathgrip (like a Mandible Claw) for the win at 7:03.

Rating: C. Danhausen continues to be so much fun and it is awesome to see everything that he gets to do out there. Let him have fun and be genuinely different, even if he doesn’t wrestle very often. PCO was a great reveal, as he is as close to a boss fight as you get around here and shut up Johnson as well as anyone else.

Angelina Love talks about being a veteran former champion who can’t believe that the backstage interviewer is having problems with her. Mandy Leon comes up to say they have better things to do so they’re done.

Quinn McKay can’t believe she has this chance. This is her love, after spending eight years in roller derby (well ok then). She has been training for years and is in the business, but now she wants to wrestle. McKay can’t understand why someone with so much success is so bitter because that isn’t how you grow a women’s division. This is McKay’s chance and if she loses….she isn’t sure what is going to happen.

Quinn McKay vs. Angelina Love

Mandy Leon is here with Love and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. If McKay wins, she is in the Women’s Title tournament. Love talks trash to start and takes McKay down for some hair tossling. We take a break and come back with Love choking on the ropes so Leon can get in some shots to the face. Some kicks to the head set up Lights Out into the Koji Clutch to have McKay in more trouble.

The rope isn’t reached and the arm drops twice…but Love lets it go as it drops the third time, meaning we keep going. McKay hits a jawbreaker, ducks the Botox Injection (Brogue Kick) and hits a powerslam for two. The Tangerine Dream (Cobra Clutch with a bodyscissors) goes on and Love is almost out, drawing Leon up to the apron. The Botox Injection finishes McKay at 11:29.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was a squash until the ending with McKay not only getting beaten up but then just losing in the end. Yeah there was interference and yeah McKay will almost assuredly wind up in the tournament, but I cannot bring myself to care about Angelina Love, or most of the Ring of Honor women’s division, in 2021. I haven’t seen it work well yet and while McKay is a nice story, I’m not sure if she is enough to carry things that far. The ending didn’t help here either, as it was one sided, then there was a brief flurry, followed by the evil veteran winning. Riveting.

McKay gets a standing ovation from commentary to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was rolling along well enough until the ending, which took all of the steam out of the show. I’m really not sure what the point was in building the main event up so much and then having the rug pulled out, but Ring of Honor has had some troubles sticking the landings before. Not a terrible show until the finish, but I was actually surprised they went with that finish, which is rarely a good sign.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things are in a bit of a shifting phase here as we are done with the 19^th Anniversary Show but I’m not sure if we are going to be seeing the fallout just yet. The taping cycle usually has a few weeks of lag but when everything is being taped in the same place at the same time, I’m not sure if that is going to be necessary. In other words, I have no idea what to expect here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Quinn McKay gives her usual welcome.

We look at the end of Fred Yehi beating Wheeler Yuta to win last week’s Pure Rules gauntlet match.

Yehi is proud of his win and is in the business of breaking people.

Brian Johnson loves wrestling and hates Danhausen. The internet is ready for their third match because it is time to win the trilogy. He has a PhD in wrestling and it is time to take Danhausen to school. Johnson gets rather animated about how serious this is to him and isn’t having Danhausen disrespect him. It is Mecca vs. everyone.

Danhausen talks about how he beat Johnson at Final Battle but then Johnson cheated to beat him. He holds up a sack of money but it’s half empty because Johnson stole the win. Now it is time to do this again in a rubber match, though Danhausen has no idea what it has to do with rubber. No matter, because he’ll beat Brian Johnstone (yes Johnstone).

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Danhausen is slimmed down to 300lbs (or at least he is billed as such) and is now twice as nice/thrice as evil. Johnson drives him into the corner to start and goes to the mat with a headscissors. That’s switched into some knees to Danhausen’s hammerlocked arm, followed by a running shoulder. Danhausen fights up but gets caught in a hot shot, followed by a Tower of London for two. A top rope clothesline stays on Danhausen’s neck and continues the complete dominance.

Some rollups give Danhausen two and a snap German suplex drops Johnson out of the corner. We take a break and come back with Danhausen not being able to hit the Good Night Hausen (GTS). Instead he goes with a slingshot bridging German suplex for two and a backdrop puts Johnson on the floor. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Johnson again but he throws….something in Danhausen’s eyes.

Not that it matters as the Good Night Hausen connects but the referee gets bumped. That means there is no count on the cover so Johnson takes him down for a slingshot splash. The referee gets up and sees Johnson’s feet on the ropes and breaks up the count so they get back up again. Danhausen drives him into the corner but nearly crushes the referee, allowing Johnson to get in a low blow. Trust The Process finishes Danhausen at 9:23.

Rating: C. Danhausen is a weird case (to put it mildly) as his promos are awesome but he isn’t all that impressive once he actually gets in the ring. He’s completely fine, but when you get that kind of buildup, you need a bit more than what he gives you. Johnson has a lot more of an upside and should have won here though, and it isn’t like Danhausen is the kind of guy who loses a lot by getting pinned. Fine result, though it’s still a little weird seeing Danhausen wrestle.

Post match a limping Johnson says he’d done with the freak and the locker room is on notice. Johnson leaves, but shouts at Mark Briscoe a bit.

Jonathan Gresham is ready for the 500^th episode, where he will defend the Pure Title.

Jay Lethal is Jonathan Gresham’s friend but he is coming for the title in two weeks on the 500^th episode.

LSG wants to be in the TV Title division because that is where greatness comes from in this company. Years ago, he and Eli Isom had a match that was supposed to set them up as the future, but that was a long time ago. Now they are meeting again and Isom isn’t holding him back from climbing the TV Title rankings.

Eli Isom says he isn’t the same guy that LSG remembers. Isom can fly with the best of them and is willing to go through LSG to get where he wants to go. They are both one win away from being in contention for the TV Title and that win is going to him.

Eli Isom vs. LSG

They go to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. A test of strength doesn’t go anywhere as they wind up on the mat again with LSG getting the better of a hammerlock. Back up and Isom armdrags him into an armbar but LSG sends him outside. LSG wins a chop off on the floor and another back inside, followed by a running forearm to the face for two.

A cravate holds Isom down and a running flip neckbreaker gets two more. Back up and Isom gets caught in a belly to back suplex to set up another cravate to slow things down again. Isom fights up and kicks away, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. A release northern lights suplex sends LSG flying so he bails out to the floor for a breather. That means Isom can hit a springboard moonsault to the floor and then gets two off a bridging suplex back inside. LSG grabs a swinging faceplant to drop Isom and the St. Splosion gets two.

We take another break and come back with Isom catching him on top but getting knocked off again. LSG’s high crossbody connects but Isom rolls through into a Death Valley Driver for two more. Isom knocks him to the apron for a spear through the ropes, meaning it’s another slugout on the floor. The big dive lets Isom beat the count and they unload on each other back inside. Isom slips out of a Gory Stretch and grabs the Promise (a brainbuster) for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Ring of Honor needs to do: pick someone and push them. I know Isom might not be the next star of the promotion and the main event guy, but he could be a somebody and that is what you can always use. Go with that and give him some wins, because it isn’t like they have anything else to lose at the moment.

Mark Briscoe is ready to face his brother Jay at the 500^th episode.

Jay Briscoe is ready to face his brother Mark at the 500^th episode.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s another stand alone episode and this time had a little bit better focus than last week’s. I liked the Pure Rules gauntlet from last time but giving Isom a long form win is a better way to go. The company still needs a lot of changes but the 500^th episode should be a good event in a few weeks. Ring of Honor is a completely watchable show and one of the easiest shows of the week, which is always a nice place to be.

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